On the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month SuperForester Jordan “rediscovers” a literary gem from the vast treasure trove of an art form that, in our technological age, has become largely under-appreciated and “lost”.
In honor of 9/11, today I’m combining my found poetry and song of the week posts. I recommend hitting play on the song and listening to it as you read through the poem
Rumor has it Wilco’s anthem “Jesus, Etc.” was written about the aftermath of 9/11. Whether that’s true or not, it’s still a beautiful love poem.
So is “One Art”, Elizabeth Bishop’s simple yet profound tribute to letting go of loss. It’s one of my favorite poems, one I’ve posted about here before. One I feel worthy of revisiting again today.
One Art
The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster, Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.
– Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster
(“Gorilla Baby Hug Party” by flickr user SlothInaBox)
Goooooood morning SuperForest!
A lot of amazing things are happening all at once, as is the norm. Where to begin? At the beginning!
Last weekend, SuperForester Jackie and I went on an epic bike ride around the Southern tip of Manhattan. We left from my apartment on 19th St. Then we rode down along the Hudson River, past the WTC site, past Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry, and then up the East side, cutting back across town on 20th St. Along the way, we saw the most incredible things!
Why do I mention it? Because before we left, Jackie and I rigged up a sweet camera mount so I could attach my flip to the front of my bike!
(A you can see, we’ve used only the finest, highest-tech materials available. Namely: a wire hanger, 1/4 inch threaded eyebolt, gaffer’s tape, and a plastic bag. DIY win!)
Here’s the epic bike ride, sped up 600 times:
Watch it in HD. There’s lot’s of fun little moments. The Winged Santa Angel (3:17). The Fallen Red-Headed Skater (2:27). The Smiling Indian Couple (3:27). Wooded pathways, and tall sailing ships. I think this viddy gives a great look at the insane variety of people and locations within the relatively tiny area that is the island of Manhattan. Good fun. (And did you notice who was along for the ride the whole time?)
SuperForester Carla and I are hard at work on the second issue of SuperForest News. This month’s issue is jam packed with SuperForesty goodness, and will be up momentarily. If you miss it, not to worry. All issues of SF News will be up as buttons on the lower left-hand side of the main page.
It is cold and raining here in NYC. This morning during our walk, SuperForester Baloo and I came across a very sad, very damp, broken-winged pigeon in the street. I moved him off to the side, and walked home. Then I felt bad and went and got him. Now, El Pigeonito, as I have named him, (I think it’s a him, he gets mad when I try to look,) is wrapped up in nice dry cloth, contentedly snoozing in a baking tray on top of my toaster oven, getting nice and warm while I re-heat a frozen burrito.
Ain’t that like life? One minute you’re flying along carefree. The next minute your wing is broken and you’re laying sopping wet and cold in the street, waiting to get run over. And then a minute later, you are warm, safe, and dry.
Like SuperForester Baloo! Also wrapped up, and hard at work converting food calories into muscle energy. Thanks, Baloo!
El Pigeonito. Will he live? Will he die? We shall wait and see. For now he is safe and I’m making us all oatmeal.
There are now 17 members of Team SuperForest all around the world! Isn’t that cool? I’m thrilled by it. Everything that you see on this site was done with love, and done voluntarily, by a member of Team SF. SuperForester Julius built the site, SuperForester Jo designed the header, SuperForester Iman designed the t-shirt and the SF Soundtrack logo, everything made by hand and with love. SuperForest is the result of concentrated love and positivity, visually represented.
It’s amazing what can be accomplished by humans united in positivity. Which reminds me of today and the anniversary it represents. Ain’t no two ways about it, the events of 8 years ago were a total drag. But I like to temper my memories of 9/11 with my memories of 9/12.
9/12, the day the whole world gave America a big hug, a blanket, and a get-well card. That’s the day I like to think about. 9/12 is a day I celebrate as a great day.
So, wherever you are today, whether it’s cold and gray like NYC, or warm and dry like Morocco, think about 9/12 and the outpouring of concern and affection that the world threw America’s way, the day after we had a really tough day…
To finish, here is a picture of the cutest kitten I could find: (image via picocool.com)
Have a great day, SuperForesters!
Love to All,
Jackson
SuperForest is a positivity blog.
SuperForesters are all over planet Earth, all united in exploring how to redefine "environmentalism" and "sustainability" to encompass every aspect of our lives.
Everything you find on this website has been personally created to uplift and inspire you.
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